The paper deals with elliptic theory on manifolds with boundary represented as a covering space. We compute the index for a class of nonlocal boundary value problems. For a nontrivial covering, the index defect of the Atiyah-Patodi-Singer boundary value problem is computed. We obtain the Poincaré duality in the K-theory of the corresponding manifolds with singularities.

The aim of this paper is to explain the notion of subspace defined by means of pseudodifferential projection and give its applications in elliptic theory. Such subspaces are indispensable in the theory of well-posed boundary value problems for an arbitrary elliptic operator, including the Dirac operator, which has no classical boundary value problems. Pseudodifferential subspaces can be used to compute the fractional part of the spectral Atiyah–Patodi–Singer eta invariant, when it defines a homotopy invariant (Gilkey’s problem). Finally, we explain how pseudodifferential subspaces can be used to give an analytic realization of the topological K-group with finite coefficients in terms of elliptic operators. It turns out that all three applications are based on a theory of elliptic operators on closed manifolds acting in subspaces.